Spirit Solar Powered Lighting Column integrates panels into the post

Street lights are one of things people in heavily populated areas tend to take for granted. They make walking and driving a safer, more pleasant experience, but they also account for a significant chunk of a city's energy usage. Solar powered street lights offer a solution for places where electricity is at a premium, or locations that are off the grid completely and the Spirit Solar Powered Lighting Column is the first example we've seen which rolls the post and the panels together in a standalone design.

Kaal Masten, the studio responsible for the new LED street light, says it can function using 100-percent solar power, who means it does not need to be connected to the grid at all in order to function.

The Spirit "solarmast" runs 12-24 Volt LEDs and has an onboard power management system that enables the light to be automatically dimmed to maximize running time and suit the surrounding environment.

To protect the unit from theft and vandalism, the company has included a patented three-stage door lock on the steel cover for the lithium batteries which are housed at the bottom of the column. The modular design also means the height of the posts is customizable, coming in heights up to 18 meters (19.7 yards).

The designers plan to install the first lights at the Eindhoven University of Technology.

Dave is an avid follower of all things mobile, gaming, and any kind of new technology he can get his hands on. Ever since he first played an NES as a child, he's been an absolute tech and gaming junkie. All articles by Dave LeClair

great idea, should be a mandatory thing, I wounder how much energy 10,000 of these would save ? the lights that are in place now are a joke and run during the day, most of the time.

Jay Finke 17th October, 2013 @ 09:23 am PDT

Great idea, sure, but not new, and they have already been beaten to the punch.

We've been using Inovus Solar off-grid lighting for about 5 years now. Made in America, and headquartered in Boise, Idaho. They pioneered the technology, the solar film wrapped around the pole, integrated battery and processors, and theirs even has wireless monitoring.

They have poles installed all over the world.

Others are using their poles for security cameras, wi-fi, and for on-grid power generation.